“Vengeance is a dangerous poison to the soul. It consumes you from within; your thoughts, your happiness, and even the ones that love you. Forgiving isn’t… easy, sometimes. Believe me, I understand.

But promise me, daughter of mine, that you’ll never wield it.”

“Ye-yes papa!”

-Conversation between two Ratkins after a Great purge.

Nashariel pov

Nashariel’s memories had been clear. These tunnels hosted something that could turn a whole region into a revolting puddle of corruption and rot. Not again… I’ve been fooled once… never again…

/Primary mind/

The secondary’s mind voice made Nashariel retake control of herself. She pushed down the ‘she’ of that lifetime, shaking her head. Thanks.

She felt the uneasy looks of her friends. Should I tell them? No, not until I’m sure that it’s still there. I can’t make them worry, not until I have something more than vague flashes of memory.

Nashariel looked at Alandra, who skipped ahead without a care. The attitude of Kondar’s followers hadn’t changed much from a few lifetimes ago. She wondered where her draconic heritage came from…

“We should go.”

“Yeah. Sorry, I was simply daydreaming.”

The grid of runes powered back on, protecting the Hub from the threats of the outside. Its light also projected ominous shadows from the Astillian's bodies, encouraging them to hurry.

As soon as the tunnel curved, the Templars were welcomed by an enormous room. Some stalactites threatened to pierce those who walked below them, while others had fused with stalagmites and formed columns thicker than houses.

A few small rivulets flowed, forming a lake littered with colored runes. On its side, dozens of houses of different shapes and materials were built upon solid rock.

The family that the Astillians had saved was half-running toward an elongated house littered with green gems. Emeralds? Was there a deposit of gems, or this is someone that invested a lot in the Crystal attunement? That reminds me… Nashariel patted her armor, where three Omni-Cores rested together with the first of their kind.

Well, in this life at least.

They had cost her a sleepless night and a bunch of resources, but Nashariel was sure that they would repay her and her friends ten times their price.

The group walked forward.

They were welcomed with suspicious gazes or outright glares. The presence of Alandra somewhat calmed the people, but Nashariel’s senses had noticed someone preventively charging up various spells. In the end, most people spied on them from behind closed windows.

“I feel like someone that’s about to get the stabby treatment.” Exclaimed Dan.

Dorel grunted in agreement.

“They are simply scared for their lives. It must not be easy to live here without a sky to look at. Let’s try to reassure them.” Veliel’s soothing voice was out of place in an underground village filled with Cursed runes. And yet, this was her.

“Oh, here they are!” Thar said with a smile.

To his side, someone ruffled his children’s hair. Is he… human? “How strange is seeing Templars here and not feeling the need to run away screaming!” He let out a booming laugh. "Welcome to our humble Hub. Make yourselves home!"

He was a massive muscular person. The person that Nashariel assumed to be Hector was bald, but his skin seemed… gummy, like the jelly that Cody liked to eat for dessert. While he looked like a humanoid, his dark-purple skin didn’t hold the exactsame shape for long.

*Mire/Gem-Slimekin, Underground crafter Lvl 205

Someone whose lineage has been corrupted by an ancient disaster. Slimekins often share their heritage’s instinct to consume all that moves; a characteristic not shared by this individual.

This Slimekin has dedicated himself to the crafter path, hence his combat capabilities are severely limited. While your Acid-based strikes will be severely weakened, you are more than able to overpower this mortal. *

Nashariel had never even heard of this kind of kin. And she pretended to not notice the tips to kill him. “Thank you for your hospitality,” she replied a moment later, bowing. “We simply did what was right.”

“Something that most of those oppressors above cannot say with a straight face! Name’s Hector, how can I call the saviors of my friends?”

The group presented themselves.

Hector's smile was slightly bigger than what it should've been possible. He patted the kids one last time. “Okay, time to get to work! Shal, get our guests a room somewhere. I need to build a house here!”

Seemingly appearing from nothing, a gray-furred ratkin bowed to the massive man. She had inherited much of her animal side, as her only humanoid traits were her height and intelligence. "Yes, Hector," Shal replied with a raspy voice. She turned to the Astillians, regarding them with beady black eyes. “Please, follow me.”

*Shadow/Hunger/Acid/Poison-Ratkin researcher Lvl 249 *

A few elements, this one. And levels.

/Indeed/

"Would you like to meet up and talk for dinner? We eat right on the other side of my home.” Hector said.

“We would, thank you.” Nashariel concluded. And I hope that you forgot that artifact’s existence, but…

/He’s a Slimekin, so he or his ancestors must know something/

Precisely, secondary mind. Precisely.

A short walk later, Shal showed the group a ruined house. She gestured towards it with a smile that was more akin to baring her teeth. “This is your temporary stay. Enjoy.”

A hinge snapped, letting a door crash down on the floor with a loud thud.

“That’s… uh… welcoming. Yes, welcoming. Just to be curious, isn’t there another… option?” Asked Dan in a hesitant tone.

“Unfortunately not. This is the best place we have available. Do you not like it?”

Something glassy shattered inside. Something else howled in sorrow.

“Pretty sure that’s infested.” Dorel commented. His hands started to sweat.

Nashariel bumped him with her tail.

“Isn’t your job to deal with those things?” The Ratkin’s eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t rob-steal someone of her house, wouldn’t you?”

“Of course not!” Veliel replied in outrage.

“Then deal with it.”

“You don’t know gratitude, it seems.” Nashariel said, almost growling. I’m not getting treated like this three times on the same day!

Shal’s tail cracked like a whip. “And you don’t know anything, Angel’s dogs!” She turned and skittered away on four legs.

Off to a great start, as usual… “What a friendly woman.”

Vel shook her head. “Nash, she said ‘her house’. I’m pretty sure that she wasn’t talking about us.”

Nashariel bit her lips. Duck. “We’ll speak to her this evening. You stay here, I’ll clean this up.”

“Thanks, Boss…”

Once inside, Nashariel glanced behind her. Sure that she could be seen by none other than her friends, she shifted to Spirit. While the Air dragon was as gray as a thunderous cloud, and Light had a more golden shine, this Hybrid cleared away all the colors.

This form made Nashariel’s scales completely white, except for random streaks of gray. The membrane of her wings was so transparent that it looked like a tent of silk wrapped around the bones of her wings. A reflection on a broken mirror showed that Nashariel’s eyes had lost their pupils, making her appear as if she was blind.

The Dragokin immediately noticed other etheric presences. “Come, let me give you peace…” She whispered with a touch of Presence.

Two spirits slowly came out from the wall. They were round spheres, much like the fairy motes that she saw within the City-trees of Lyah'thien. “Is it safe?”

“Are they gone?”

“No one can hurt you any longer. You’re safe, but… whose gone?”

The spheres shuddered. “Monsters…”

“We were… near the runes. They… they…”

“The runes failed. They never fail!”

“… consumed us… those slimes…”

Nashariel’s blood froze. Still, she faked a serene face. “They can’t get to you. The runes have been repaired, and no slimes infest the Hub.”

The increasingly agitated motes slowed down. A bad imitation of a sigh echoed in the room. “Thank you…”

“Please, warn the others! They must not open the way we made collapse!”

“… for your help…”

“I will, I promise. Now, go to rest. You’ve earned it.”

The spheres slowly faded out of existence.

*Spirit-Lost souls (x2) Lvl 1 successfully exorcised.

No points were gained. *

We must speak with Hector.

/Yes. Do your memories tell you how powerful those creatures were?/

I intend to find out. “Guys, it’s clear!” Nashariel shouted. As soon as the group came in, she regarded them gravelly. “I have to recall a thing or two. We might have a disaster on its way.”

“No rest for the righteous, uh?” Dan sighed.

“No rest for the righteous.”

“Can you tell us more?”

“Later. I don’t know how much time we have.”

While her friends did some needed housework, Nashariel sat down in a hole that she had dug. She needed to be extra sure to have all the time in the world. And privacy.

The omnidragon was about to attempt to search as far as she could for a specific life, to get specific answers to specific questions. Nashariel needed some help.

She fell into her status.

“System, how can I better search into my memories?” There has to be something. The System always has something, right?

*Analyzing question…

Analyzing purpose…

Analyzing chambers…

Answers found!

1) Upgrade Omnidragon superiority to its cap.

2) Acquire specific skills from the Spirit, Flow, and Darklight chambers.

3) Advance age category.

4) Increase your awareness and essence.

5) Special. Find an item closely related to the life you’re trying to remember.

No other ways have been found. *

Nashariel quickly read through the list. Flow? I only expected something in Spirit. I’m kinda curious…

/Focus. We might not have too much time, and we must talk to Hector before acting/

I know, you’re right. How many points do we have…? 19? That’s nothing…

/You do have some Cores to drain…/

Nashariel looked down at her chest. The four Omni-Cores were hot against her skin.

A smirk slowly crept on Nashariel's face. You know what? You’re right. Let’s make some more!

*You cannot bind to yourself more than five artifacts.

To increase this limit, you must increase your Crystal and Spirit Tiers. You can also buy the appropriate skills.

You have drained to dust 3 minor Cores.

You have emptied a small Core and 4 minor Cores.

You have gained 46 stat points and 23 skill points. *

Nashariel grimaced, shaking the crystalline dust off her hands. She had aimed for quantity rather than quality, and the unbound minor Cores weren’t unable to handle the leeching.

Nashariel knew that the Bound status improved the artifact in some ways, but she knew very little about it. She hadn’t thought that she would put her hands on many of those, not so soon. Especially not Cores.

Regardless, those points would help her. As… few as they were. Rushing the process doesn’t help either, uh?

/Predictable. We’ll do better next time/

That we shall. Please, control their recharge while I go shopping.

/Secondary mind ready to assist. Have fun, Nashariel/

Nashariel went directly to her Spirit chamber.

The room appeared… ethereal, like a distant memory almost forgotten. Whites and grays were the main tones of the room, as it was her dragokin form. A strange etheric substance composed the floor, with some particles of the material that floated in the unmoving air. They often congregated into figures, mortal and monstrous alike.

Incomprehensible whispers reached Nashariel’s ears. Sometimes she turned, as the voice seemed hers. The pillars represented a spectral sleeping dragon that, when the skill was bought, would abruptly awake to stare at the ceiling.

Nashariel shivered as a whisper seemed to warn her of impending doom. She commanded the chamber to be silent, and her status obeyed. “Status, highlight which skills you referred to.”

Three dragons stirred in their sleep. Nashariel summoned a menu to look at the proposed skills.

*Spiritual eyes (5 points), Sense spirit (4 points), Spiritual tracking (3 points), Ghost touch (6 points), Spiritual language (8 points).

Spiritual eyes: A skill dedicated to seeing the immaterial.

Sense spirit: A skill dedicated to better perceiving etheric presences.

Spiritual tracking: A skill dedicated to hunting ghosts, or, perhaps, your own lost self.

Ghost touch: A skill dedicated to making the user able to interact with the Immaterial.

Spiritual language: Sometimes, long-forgotten spirits do not speak the user's tongues. This skill will provide some basic comprehension.

Merges may follow. *

She whistled. Costly stuff. Nashariel reasoned for a few moments. She was in a hurry, but buying everything indiscriminately was bound to be harmful in some shape or form.

The omnidragon rethought back at her visions. So far, she had been a powerless spectator within her memories. Sometimes, she even understood the meaning of the words there spoken, even if not word by word. There has to be a reason to select these abilities… but why?

Out of the proposed skills, only Spiritual tracking seemed perfectly suited to her needs. And Sense spirit, probably as a synergistic skill. She bought those without thinking further.

If I need, I’ll just come back to buy some more skills. Flow time.

A skip and a jump later, Nashariel stepped into the Water’s more magical Aspect.

The Chamber kept much of the azure tonalities of its Base element, accentuating the rivers and waterfalls. Only, they were a single watercourse that flowed in tens of different ways. The pillars were moss-topped blue rocks, very much sapphire-like. Magic filled the scenery by making some of the rivers rush mid-air, giving life to various artistic drawings.

Much better! Nashariel snickered. She repeated the question to the System. This time, a pair of pillars had their top sprout a jet of water above.

*Sense Flux (4 points), Mana finesse (6 points).

Sense Flux: A skill dedicated to perceiving the changes of mana around the user.

Mana finesse: A skill dedicated to giving better shape to your skills and spells. *

Simple and effective. Mine!

Once that was done, Nashariel read again the latest proposed attunement. Darklight was… barely discussed, to put it mildly.

Within the books that she had read, it was even worse-mouthed than Curse. Nashariel had never thought about deepening her understanding of it, something that she now regretted.

She decided to…

Nashariel stopped a moment before entering the chamber, biting her lips. Worse than Curse… just what kind of things lurks in this attunement? “System, can you describe Darklight attunement to me?”

*Darklight: The heretic, or, maybe, something more. The most extreme opposites, generosity, and selfishness met, and… something strange was born. This element offsets the flaws of other attunements. By itself? You will find power in balance. *

Nashariel rolled her eyes. I didn’t ask for the literal description…

She asked again, trying various formulae. The system gave her the same answer each time.

The dragokin didn’t read anything so outrageous. She didn’t want to question the entire Church’s wisdom, and yet…

How many times had they told her to not attune to certain elements, only for nothing to happen to her? She still wasn't a fan of the selection of skills offered by Curse, but she had yet to turn into a sadist. Fel's words about her innate immunity to the elements' influences had also proven to be true.

Perhaps this attunement was controversial, but she had learned that seeing with her own two eyes was essential to form appropriate opinions.

Nashariel stepped into the chamber.

The room was… simple, relatively speaking. A large eclipse on the ceiling gave off a sense of mystery, illuminating only half of the room. The weird part was that ‘half’ meant that the various pillars were half-lit and half in shadow. They appeared as a dragon with closed eyes, almost sleeping but… not really. The few pillars already part of Nashariel’s omnidragon arsenal had both halves melded with each other, leaving only small dots of shadow and light unchanged. The whole chamber felt… calming.

Nashariel took in a deep, deep breath. When she exhaled, part of the tension that she was carrying went away with it. Without prompt, the short grass of the floor swished in the direction of two different pillars.

A soft wind accompanied her steps. The crunching of her feet against the ground was the only sound in this place. So peaceful…

*Inner center/Outer edge (8 points), Sense Balance/Overlook confusion (6 points).

Inner center/Outer edge: A skill dedicated to remembering your true identity amid confusion/A skill dedicated to being aware of what's influencing you and how.

Sense balance/Overlook confusion: A skill dedicated to seeking stability/A skill dedicated to forgetting chaos. *

Nashariel frowned. Four skills? What’s this attunement’s deal? The cost is pretty high, but each skill has two parts and descriptions. Comparing the ‘Sense’ line, she hazarded a 50% increase. Well, I can see why remembering who I am can be useful. She recalled the brief moments when she hadn’t, like calling Fel by her true name. Or just at the entrance of the Hub, when the life she was trying to find had spontaneously emerged to speak her mind.

She bought the skills, sighing at the cost. After that, Nashariel opened their full descriptions.

*Sense spirit, Spiritual tracking, Sense Flux, Mana finesse, Inner center/Outer edge, and Sense balance/Overlook confusion have been bought.

Skill points reduced to-> 11

Sense spirit Lvl 1

The spiritual realms are elusive to the untrained perception. As beings out of this world, spirits are not subjected to the same rules as physical beings. This skill will give you a chance to detect these creatures before they strike.

Your awareness is slightly less reduced when sensing etheric beings.

Upgrade cost: 3 points Lvl.

Spiritual tracking Lvl 1

Sensing spirits is all well and good, but their ethereality doesn’t leave any traces that a normal hunter can hope to notice until it's too late. This skill will help you trace the specters' steps to their owner. Good luck, ghost hunter.

Your awareness and other tracking skills are more adept to hunt a spiritual being. Possessing something related to the prey makes this skill more effective.

Upgrade cost: 4 points.

Sense Flux Lvl 1

The Flux, by its nature, cannot stand still. Always in movement, always changing, always loaded with potential. This skill brings you the gift of seeing these fluctuations, so that you may better plan your next spells.

You can sense the changes in the Flux and their direction. This can let you notice skills and spells before their effective cast, for example.

Upgrade cost: 3 points.

Mana finesse Lvl 1

The act of activating spells and skills is an art. Unfortunately, most entities butcher this sacred moment by crudely flinging them left and right without reason or care. This skill hopes to refine your casts.

You gain more control over the variables of your skills and spells. With practice, you’ll be able to personalize them too.

Upgrade cost: 4 points.

Inner center/Outer edge Lvl 1

Confusion, about what you are and what you’re not, abound. Be the calm in the storm, be as unshakable as a mountain. You must not be moved from within yourself, for only in there your sanctuary resides / Being grounded is sure important, but losing sight of the happenings outside of your limited self is dangerous, perhaps even more than losing your way. Remember, calm isn’t a synonym for apathy.

The effects that would cause you to lose yourself are weakened.

The effects that would cause you to lose sight of the other are weakened.

Upgrade cost: 6 points.

Sense balance/Overlook confusion Lvl 1

Balance is as delicate as a flower during winter. By sensing the disturbances, you can feel a foe's true intents. Stay sharp, but beware to not cut yourself / Some beings will try to mud your senses with any means necessary for their goals. Ignore those attempts as the trees do when the wind blows on their bark. Beware, for a tree that ignores the storm is still swept away.

You can more easily detect harmful effects or intentions directed at you.

Effects that would reduce your perception are weakened.

Upgrade cost: 4 points. *

Satisfied with her purchases, Nashariel let the final changes course through her soul. She felt her mindset shift a bit back into its original self, before [Omnidragon superiority]. She sighed in relief. Feels good to be back. Nashariel thanked Astill for having had enough awareness to not succumb to the less… friendly of her incarnations. I must level this skill quickly.

A moment later, she focused on her goal. Show me the life that caused the Darkmud war. She whispered to her Superiority.

Almost before she could finish the thought, Nashariel felt the floor vanishing under her back, letting her fall into an endless abyss.

Nashariel fell and fell…

It felt a lot like flying on the cold peak home to Fel’s lair, except that there was no sense of physicality at all.

Slowly, images started to flesh out around Nashariel. They all felt… intimately familiar. They were blurred as if she had been immersed underwater outside of the Water dragon form.

A myriad of different voices loudly chatted in her head, talking about as many topics as the mysterious scenes that they belonged to. Nashariel spotted her own life, flickering like a small candle within this infinity, the only clear images within this mess.

Even while deafened by the senseless blabbering, Nashariel managed to perform some thoughts. Just… just how many lives have I lived? She shook her head. Doesn’t matter right now; I’ll add it to the list of things to explore later on. I must find that life at all costs!

The omnidragon shifted into her Spirit form. The first activation of her skill had her groan in pain. There were thousands of ‘spirits’ to sense and track.

Nashariel wouldn't have been surprised to see some of the skills she had just bought being maxed out. This abyss had to be good practice.

Nashariel felt very much like trying to find a pebble on the seabed. There were just so many spirits…

Determined, the omnidragon frowned in absolute concentration.

She used her new [Mana finesse] to get a hold of the aimless tracking. Nashariel forced the skill to narrow its senses, focusing only on the life that she needed to find.

The Omnidragon lost her hold a moment later. Unwilling to surrender, she burned down her Omnia to empower herself and her Finesse.

This time, her grip didn’t falter. She reigned the skills, using her new senses.

Nashariel felt a thousand different lines scattering everywhere. She swiped at one of them, and her ‘limb’ passed right through it. The dragokin puffed out in irritation. She fed her Omnia with stamina and mana, tugging the line with her manipulation instead. The skill required an obscene amount of mana, but it worked.

The instant that Nashariel touched the wire-like thing, she got almost dragged away. I need to make sure to get the right one!

She did her best to recall to mind the sensation of that life. The latest of her memories were about fear, failure, and… well, her death.

As weak as those memories were, she felt some scenes giving her tracking a stronger feeling. Thank Astill, I’m exhausted…

The omnidragon used [Sense Flux] and [Sense spirit] to follow them back to their source, finding a set of memories about mud and rot.

Bingo! Nashariel mentally shouted. She stopped to overwork her skills and checked out her resources. Damn, I almost used up all my Omnia… both stamina and mana were also very low on the count. I see why [Ghost touch] and [Spiritual eyes] could be useful. Well, I'll buy them the next time.

Now that she had found her objective, Nashariel reach it. She had dreamed hundreds of times about her deaths, but Nashariel wondered, a bit anxious and scared, if recalling them this way was different. For one, she never had to do this kind of process.

She waited for her Omnia to refill, then tugged strongly. Here we fricking go…

Wires shot at her like snakes. They wrapped themselves around Nashariel’s arm, then dragged her to her memories.

Just before entering a picture of mud and corruption, Nashariel felt a strong impression.

One about… kin.

??? pov, below Hector’s Hub.

The swarm stirred once again. They had felt the touch of their mother and had been trying to reach the surface with all their strength.

But those shiny things burned!

The swarm had been forced to back down, again and again, poked by those food-not-food evil ones.

The big shiny one had destroyed almost all of them. Fortunately, the last gift of their Mother had feasted on everything that had set foot in there. But they would grow big and strong, enough to avenge her!

Until, one day, they felt her blessed energy touch them once more. They rejoiced.

And yet, their enthusiasm had been stopped by those shiny, burning thingies!

Until someone… someone who was neither them nor food had promised something to the swarm.

Vengeance and food.

Like their mother once wished for them.

The nightmarish swarm wiggled in anticipation.